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NEW  HOMES  UNDER   OLD   ROOFS 


HOUSE  IN  MILLIS,  MASS. 

Built  1778  by  Abijah  Richardson,  M.D.,  for  four  years  surgeon  on  the 
staff  of  Gen.  Washington.     Restored  1906,  James  S.  Lee,  Architect 


NEW   HOMES   UNDER 
OLD  ROOFS 


BY 

JOSEPH   STOWE  SEABURY 

ii 


"  J  look 
Across  the  lapse  of  half  a  century, 
And  call  to  mind  old  homesteads,  where  no  flower 
Told  that  the  spring  had  come,  but  evil  weeds, 
Nightshade  and  rough-leaved  burdock  in  the  place 
Of  the  sweet  doorway  greeting  of  the  rose 
And  honeysuckle." 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

MD  CCCCXVI 


Wi  tot 
$1 


COPYRIGHT,     I  Q  I  6,     BY 
FREDERICK    A.     STOKES    COMPANY 


All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of 
translation   into  foreign  languages 


•  •  •  •  •  • 


THE'PLIMPTON'PBESS 

NORWOOD-MAS  S-U-S-A 


To   MY    MOTHER 


43607: 


PREFACE 

IN  VIEW  of  the  expanding  interest  in  the  preservation  of  old  New 
England  houses,  this  little  work,  —  geographically  local,  though  perhaps 
universally  applicable, —  is  shaped  for  the  sympathetic  public.  Only  in 
the  past  decade  or  two  has  the  general  wave  of  appreciation  for  household 
antiquities  found  its  way  to  the  very  buildings  which  once  sheltered  them.  Our 
successful  efforts  to  save  these  landmarks,  as  monuments  of  history  and  models 
of  early  American  architecture,  have  been  steps  towards  the  recognition  of 
the  habitable  possibilities  in  neglected  farmhouses. 

Between  these  covers  are  illustrated  some  three  dozen  seventeenth,  eighteenth, 
and  nineteenth  century  farmsteads  which  have  been  discovered  and  con- 
verted into  livable  homes  by  those  discerning  people  who  are  able  to  interpret 
the  language  of  an  old  house.  The  examples  shown  are  taken  from  the  im- 
mediate countryside  about  Boston,  Mass.,  where  this  reconstructive  tendency 
has  created  a  wide  variety  of  schemes.  To  the  reader  one  alteration  may 
appear  good  and  the  next  not  so  good,  which  suggests  that  individual  taste 
and  the  character  of  the  house  in  hand  can  alone  govern  the  processes 
undertaken.  Only  the  exterior  is  considered  in  picture,  and  the  brief  textual 
references,  for  the  most  part,  pertain  to  those  architectural  and  esthetic  features 
which  have  a  bearing  on  the  external  character.  The  old  Colonial  home- 
stead is  part  and  parcel  of  our  New  England  landscape;  like  the  hills  and 
lakes  it  stands  always  on  public  exhibition;  and  only  as  it  thus  appears  to 
the  casual  passer-by  is  it  portrayed  in  these  pages. 

As  two  views  of  each  specimen  are  shown,  —  the  first  before  and  the  other 
after  alteration,  —  several  interesting  examples  of  treatment  are  unfortu- 
nately omitted  from  this  collection  for  the  reason  that  original  photographs  are 
not  available.  In  order  to  display  the  actual  contrast,  the  second  picture 
in  each  instance  was  made,  as  near  as  possible,  from  the  same  viewpoint  as 
the  original.  Even  these  prototypes,  poor  and  imperfect  as  they  may  seem 
in  some  cases,  were  seized  upon  with  eagerness  and  sometimes  with  difficulty. 

Grateful  acknowledgement  is  extended  to  those  who  have  kindly  permitted 
the  use  of  old  prints  and  photographs,  and  to  the  several  owners  and  occu- 
pants of  properties  who  have  graciously  suggested  that  "no  trespassing" 
signs  be  disregarded.    The  courtesy  of  "The  House  Beautiful"  is  recognized 


[8] 
for  permission  to  include  a  few  plates  which  have  already  appeared  in 
recent  issues  to  illustrate  essays  by  the  present  writer. 

To  Mr.  Alfred  W.  Cutting,  with  whom  I  have  made  many  delightful  pil- 
grimages, is  due  much  credit  for  the  artistic  representations  in  modern 
photography  shown  in  many  of  the  views  of  the  completed  houses. 

Joseph  Stowe  Seabury 
Boston 


LIST  OF  PLATES 

Frontispiece Millis 

Plate  I Duxbury 

Plate  II Cohasset 

Plate  III Dedham 

Plate  IV Dedham 

Plate  V Dover 

Plate  VI Sherborn 

Plate  VII Sherborn 

Plate  VIII Bolton 

Plate  IX Soulhboro 

Plate  X Framingham 

Plate  XI Framingham 

Plate  XII Framingham 

Plate  XIII Framingham 

Plate  XIV Sudbury 

Plate  XV Sudbury 

Plate  XVI Sudbury 

Plate  XVII Wayland 

Plate  XVIII Wayland 

Plate  XIX Wayland 

Plate  XX Wayland 

Plate  XXI Wayland 

Plate  XXII Wayland 

Plate  XXIII Weston 

Plate  XXIV Weston 

Plate  XXV Weston 

Plate  XXVI Weston 

Plate  XXVII Lincoln 

Plate  XXVIII Concord 

Plate  XXIX Concord 

Plate  XXX Topsfield 

Plate  XXXI Topsfield 

Plate  XXXII Topsfield 

Plate  XXXIII Boxford 

Plate  XXXIV Hamilton 

Plate  XXXV  : Hamilton 

Plate  XXXVI Beverly  Farms 


NEW  HOMES  UNDER  OLD  ROOFS 

TO  RESTORE  is  one  thing;  to  remodel  is  another.  The  restora- 
tion of  an  old  house  is  accomplished  only  by  holding  strictly  to 
definite  and  limited  rules.  One  purpose  and  only  one  must  be 
kept  conscientiously  in  view,  —  namely,  so  to  treat  the  building  that 
it  may  be  brought  back  to  its  former  state;  to  store  it  again  with  its 
original  spirit,  scheme,  and  composition.  In  plan  it  must  remain  unaltered, 
in  size  unchanged,  and  in  detail  forever  congruous  with  its  prototype. 
Each  and  every  minute  bit  of  construction,  both  within  and  without, 
must  be  made  to  appear  quite  as  it  did  when  first  the  house  was  built. 
Rut  the  field  of  "doing  over"  for  occupancy  may  reach  to  any  consistent 
extremity.  In  this  undertaking  we  may  proceed  with  a  free  hand  to  im- 
prove, enlarge,  and  beautify  in  accordance  with  the  varied  demands  of 
modern  standards,  though  always  with  the  help  of  professional  advice. 
The  house  is  ours  to  use  as  we  will, —  but  there  is  little  object  in  making 
homely  use  of  it  at  all  unless  we  engage  in  both  renovation  and  moderni- 
zation. The  mere  appropriation  of  a  house  already  standing,  indicates, 
to  start  with,  our  interest  in  preserving  the  workmanship  of  another  age, 
while  the  installation  of  modern  equipment  comes  as  a  clear  necessity. 
Obviously,  then,  with  the  work  of  restoration  for  its  own  sake  we  will 
have  little  to  do. 

While  we  are  aware  that  this  business  of  reclaiming  farmhouses  has  its 
friendly  opponents,  and  even  at  times  its  disheartening  results,  it  never- 
theless appears  to  be  growing  as  an  established  art.  There  is  scarcely  a 
town  or  community  in  New  England  which  is  not  able  to  point  out  its 
few  or  many  examples  of  typical  old  homes  clothed  in  the  dress  of  modern 
comfort,  neither  is  there  an  architect  of  country  houses  who  cannot  dis- 
play before  you  his  drawings  of  concrete  examples.  From  the  beginning 
of  time  man  has  been  accustomed  to  repair,  rebuild,  and  embellish  his 
abode.  The  ancestral  home  from  year  to  year  undergoes  its  structural 
changes,  and  suffers  the  introduction  of  fresh  innovations  and  improve- 
ments. Rut  only  within  the  limits  of  the  last  decade  or  two  have  alien 
househunters  gone  eagerly  forth  in  quest  of  new  homes  under  old  roofs. 
While  we  may  prefer  to  think  of  historians  and  antiquarians  and  artists 
and  poets  as  secluded  inhabitants  of  the  picturesque  old  places,  there  are 
now  those  captains  of  industry,  those  little  lords  of  finance  who  return 
each  day  to  their  firesides  to  feel  again  the  close  touch  of  early  associa- 
tions and  breathe  the  lingering  breath  of  far,  forgotten  days. 

At  this  late  day  we  may  search  in  vain  for  early  farmhouses  which  have 
been  subjected  to  no  material  changes.    During  the  last  two  full  centuries, 


''.'.''    • . 


[12] 

a  period  of  time  which  statistical  records  tell  us  covers  nearly  seven  gen- 
erations, there  was  ample  opportunity  for  the  adoption  of  new  ideas  and 
ideals.  In  his  workmanship  the  early  craftsman  may  have  the  credit  of 
being  conventional  and  consistent,  —  as  we  shall  observe  later  more 
fully,  —  but  when  these  inevitable  changes  took  place,  and  new  motives 
and  fresh  notions  filtered  in,  that  precious  initial  work  is  found  to  be 
shattered  if  not  entirely  obliterated.  Thoughtlessly  repairs  were  made 
and  improvements  introduced,  irrespective  of  relevant  meaning.  By  this 
we  do  not  refer  to  early  alterations  to  an  earlier  house,  which  are  now 
considered  good,  since  they  have  become  minute  parts  of  architectural 
styles  or  history. 

The  builders  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  did  not  intend 
that  their  beamed  ceilings  should  be  lathed  and  plastered,  their  fireplaces 
bricked  up,  their  paneled  walls  papered,  or  hearths  removed.  Neither 
were  those  perfectly  proportioned  exteriors  designed  to  justify  much 
dormer,  porch,  or  bay  treatment.  When  the  air-tight  stove  came  into 
use  in  the  late  seventeen  hundreds  and  cellar  heat  about  i83o,  they  played 
havoc  with  fireplace  and  hearth.  Central  chimneys  have  been  known  to 
be  removed  to  give  more  closet  room.  And,  visible  to  the  passer-by,  many 
a  barn  and  chicken  house  is  adorned  with  the  original  small  pane  windows 
robbed  from  the  dwelling  itself  when  the  large  lights  became  universally 
popular,  for  the  reason  that  the  busy  housewife  considered  them  more 
easily  washed. 

In  the  process  of  restoration,  then,  these  and  other  evidences  of  muti- 
lation must  first  be  eliminated,  the  discarded  parts  reinstated,  and  the 
Colonial  feeling  again  made  predominant.  The  true  beauty  of  the  house 
is  in  its  prototype,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  invest  the  remains  as  best  we  can 
with  its  original  garments.  Two  goals  should  be  held  in  view, — looks  and 
utility ;  —  its  appearance  should  be  old  and  its  usefulness  modern. 

We  must  needs  look  sharp  that  sentiment  may  not  dim  our  eyes  and 
cause  our  feet  to  falter.  Sentiment,  however,  is  bound  to  be  an  all  im- 
portant factor  in  molding  the  contented  spirit  of  the  present-day  country- 
man. If  we,  by  natural  inclination,  delight  in  the  "stonewall  country," 
in  singing  thrushes,  and  growing  things,  it  is  clear  that  there  in  the  very 
midst  of  them  we  should  live  and  move  and  have  our  being.  Though  the 
old  house  is  now  become  part  and  parcel  of  the  rural  loveliness  roundabout, 
and  the  picture  is  complete  in  its  composition,  it  may  not  seem  feasible 
from  the  viewpoint  of  practical  fitness  to  attempt  this  business  of  remodel- 
ing. The  ruthless  hand  of  time  may  have  done  its  fatal  work;  the  dis- 
figurement of  anomalies  may  prove  too  serious  for  successful  treatment; 
the  character  of  the  neighborhood  may  have  changed.  Sound  conclu- 
sions, let  us  hope,  will  then  overrule  the  force  of  sentiment. 

Now,  when  structural,  architectural,  and  even  geographical  conditions 
are  found  to  be  promising,  the  success  of  the  enterprise  is  a  reasonable 
certainty.  The  frame  is  substantial,  the  lineaments  harmonious,  the  doors 
swing  true,  and  the  front  windows  stare  the  southern  sun  full  in  the  face. 


[i3] 

We  are  in  possession  of  a  rich  inheritance  handed  down  as  a  specimen  of 
our  forefathers'  handicraft.  It  is  unique,  and  unique  it  will  remain  so  long 
as  we  treat  it  with  skilful  consistency.  At  the  completion  of  the  work  we 
have  a  home  of  distinctive  individuality.  Among  the  vast  variety  of 
country  houses  the  remodeled  farmhouse  stands  out  as  a  rare  phase  of 
architectural  triumph. 

The  poetic  soul  will  dream  his  dreams  and  see  his  visions  only  when 
some  material  suggestion  first  comes  to  him.  That  mental  picture  place 
of  ours,  with  its  elms,  its  great  fireplaces,  its  little  green  blinds  and  garden 
walk,  is  visible  because  we  have  one  day  seen  just  such  a  house  in  vivid 
reality.  To  stand  at  the  cluttered  doorway  of  an  ancient  homestead  and 
be  able  to  see  through  and  behind  and  beyond  the  dilapidation  is  an 
artistic  accomplishment;  in  place  of  the  raw  nucleus  is  a  clean,  white  pic- 
ture of  a  beautiful  transformation. 


The  character  and  condition  of  the  house  in  hand,  and  the  varied 
personal  tastes  and  requirements  of  the  owner  are  issues  so  fundamental, 
so  vital,  so  specific,  that  architectural  suggestions, — necessarily  of  a  gen- 
eral kind,  —  are  offered  with  some  hesitancy.  Assuming  that  we  acquire 
from  the  study  of  these  living  examples  some  conception  of  the  construc- 
tion of  an  old  farmhouse,  its  record,  its  value,  its  significance  and  the  im- 
portance of  harmonious  and  consistent  treatment,  a  fist  of  cut  and  dried 
rules  for  alterations  can  be  of  little  individual  assistance.  We  cannot 
properly  accept  generalities  intended  to  cover  precise  cases.  An  ac- 
quaintance made  with  the  old  house  and  its  livable  possibilities  persuades 
us  to  believe  that  early  features  should  be  preserved,  that  Colonial  linea- 
ments both  inside  and  out  should  be  kept  intact,  and  structural  and 
decorative  disfigurements  of  an  intermediate  era  replaced  with  imitative 
work  of  the  original  period.  It  is  clear  that  each  separate  undertaking, 
for  the  most  part,  is  an  intimate  field  in  itself  for  owner  and  architect  to 
consider  and  treat.  The  more  thoroughly  we  know  the  old  house,  the 
better  prepared  we  will  be  to  handle  it  in  the  proper  manner. 

How  did  it  come  about  that  New  England  farmhouses  were  built  in  just 
the  manner  they  were?  What  foreign  or  domestic  influence  helped  to 
establish  our  early  American  type  as  a  characteristic  expression  of  archi- 
tecture? And  what  do  we  see  architecturally  when  we  look  upon  a  com- 
mon specimen?  The  art  of  constructing  buildings  tells  of  a  vast  and 
intricate  record  of  gradual  growth.  When  we  consider  that  this  ancient 
art,  which  had  its  historical  beginnings  with  the  Egyptians  and  Assyrians 
centuries  before  Christ,  was  at  that  time  and  ever  since  has  been  closely 
affected  by  religion,  literature,  commerce,  politics,  topography  and  even 
botany  and  the  weather,  we  little  wonder  it  has  alternately  suffered  its 
declines  and  gloried  in  its  ascendencies. 


[i4] 

THE   PIVOTAL   FEATURE 

The  consistency  of  the  ground  plan,  followed  in  all  early  work,  is  per- 
haps the  first  point  of  vital  interest;  the  one  guiding  influence  in  deter- 
mining this  common  arrangement  of  rooms  is  the  fireplace  with  its 
chimney. 

No  other  architectural  or  structural  feature  of  the  Colonial  house  exerts 
a  more  direct  effect  upon  the  general  plan.  Within  the  house  the  loca- 
tion of  the  fireplaces  governs  the  position  and  often  the  number  of  rooms, 
while  without,  the  chimneys  betray  the  interior  arrangement.  As  the 
doorway  forms  the  central  emphasis  of  the  exterior  front,  so  the  fireplace, 
with  its  mantel  and  chimney-breast,  receives  the  accent  of  the  room  within. 

The  development  of  the  open  fire  unfolds  a  long  and  fascinating  story. 
For  centuries  before  flue  and  chimney  hearth  were  ever  thought  of,  the 
fire  was  laid  open  in  the  center  of  the  room,  and  the  smoke  found  its  way 
out  as  best  it  could  through  a  hole  in  the  roof.  The  blaze  served  for  both 
cooking  and  warmth,  but  we  doubt  whether  the  good  cheer  it  gave  could 
compare  with  the  significance  of  our  firesides,  so  dear  to  New  Englanders 
of  all  times.  Among  the  Romans,  the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  Normans,  and 
the  Indians,  this  central  fire  lingered  as  the  universal  type.  By  the 
twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  the  Normans  caused  the  fire  to  be  moved 
to  the  wall,  and  when  houses  were  built  with  upper  stories,  it  became 
necessary  to  devise  some  outlet  for  the  smoke  other  than  through  the  roof 
or  the  side  wall.  This  necessity  lead  to  a  recessed  or  hooded  device  con- 
taining and  protecting  the  blaze,  with  a  hole  just  above  to  direct  the  draft. 
The  stone  or  stucco  chimney,  —  appearing  first  on  the  outside  of  the 
house,  —  began  its  gradual  and  local  development  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  and  soon  decorative  possibilities  suggested  themselves  for  the 
space  about  and  above  the  opening.  The  French  at  this  time  were  not 
domestic  and  home-loving  people,  as  is  indicated  by  the  palatial  chateaux, 
a  product  of  the  Renaissance  in  Italy,  but  when  the  humble  cot  of  the 
yeoman  borrowed  the  idea  of  fireplace  and  chimney  it  was  for  the  first 
time  inoculated  with  the  spirit  of  home.  In  the  sixteenth  century  not 
only  did  the  fireplace  become  the  picturesque  and  cheerful  inglenook  of 
English  cottages  and  inns,  but  in  royal  halls  it  presented  the  one  interior 
opportunity  for  elaborate  ornamentation,  and  underwent  the  treatment 
of  every  period  style  until  it  reached  its  classic  purity  at  the  hands  of  the 
Brothers  Adam  in  the  late  seventeen  hundreds. 

But  when  the  Englishman  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  break  his  way  through 
the  illimitable  woods  of  New  England,  he  carried  with  him,  as  part  of  his 
religion,  the  true  conception  of  the  meaning  of  home  and  hearth.  In 
his  mind  the  fine  arts  were  not  uppermost.  To  him  his  home  meant  his 
hearth.  Dignity  and  truth  and  domestic  virtue  now  centered  about 
his  great  fireplace  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  new  home.  Our  pres- 
ent day  use  and  significance  of  the  idiomatic  expressions  "fireside"  and 
"hearthstone,"  and  "hearthside,"  —  referring  to  one's  home,  —  without 


[i5] 

doubt  had  their  origin  with  our  early  colonist,  and  at  this  we  do  not  wonder, 
since  his  home  consisted  more  of  a  fireplace  than  a  house.  While  the 
feature  has  now  lost  all  of  its  cooking  and  much  of  its  heating  qualities, 
it  still  clings  as  an  essential  and  vital  requirement  though  mainly  for  the 
appearance  and  cheer  it  gives.  In  New  England  there  is  little  or  no  evi- 
dence of  fireplace  decoration  during  the  first  hundred  years,  notwith- 
standing its  previous  development  in  Italy,  France,  and  England.  The 
pervading  influence  of  the  Georgian  mode, — fundamentally  classic  in  tone, 
—  had  not  come,  but  when  it  did  come,  about  1750,  the  chimney-piece, 
as  well  as  cornice,  frieze,  and  pediment,  began  to  receive  its  full  share  of 
ornamental  treatment.  The  settler's  huge  fireplace,  in  its  symbolic  and 
almost  crude  simplicity,  is  one  distinct  form,  and  in  the  later  years  the 
smaller,  decorative,  drawing-room  sort,  reflecting  the  direct  artistic 
power  of  such  English  masters  as  Jones,  Wren,  and  Adam,  is  quite 
another  type  of  so-called  Colonial  work. 

TRADITIONAL   PLANS 

Though  it  is  clear  that  in  America  the  early  fireplace  took  after  the 
contemporary  kind  of  the  humble  English  cottage,  it  soon  appears  to  have 
undergone  a  rapid  evolution  of  its  own.  Leaving  the  open  central  hearth 
as  a  temporary  affair  of  no  architectural  importance  in  America,  the 
actual  beginnings  occurred  in  the  one  chimney,  one  fireplace,  one  room 
type  of  house,  the  first  respectable  dwelling  of  the  settler.  The  chimney 
stack  usually  stood  without  the  house,  visible  from  base  to  cap,  and  by 
extending  the  building  in  its  direction  in  order  to  provide  for  an  additional 
room,  the  chimney  immediately  became  not  only  an  interior  feature  but 
the  pivotal  axis  of  the  whole  structure.  Assuming  that  the  new  room  was 
given  a  fireplace,  the  result  is  the  earliest  form  of  our  traditional  central 
chimney  type,  shown  in  Figure  I  on  page  23.  Though  this  was  the  com- 
mon New  England  ground  plan  as  the  settler  began  to  improve  on  his 
original  one  room  hut,  it  promptly  resolved  itself  into  the  enlarged  scheme 
of  Figure  II.  It  was  a  natural  and  simple  undertaking  to  supply  a  third 
room  at  the  rear,  since  it  would  tap  the  same  chimney  and  be  included 
under  the  same  roof.  This  rear  room  was  now  the  great  kitchen,  and 
whether  a  part  of  the  original  house  or  a  later  addition,  was  often  roofed 
with  the  characteristic  lean-to.  In  our  visits  to  the  quiet  country  places 
this  is  a  familiar  type  of  farmhouse, —  a  popular  style  followed  even  in 
the  nineteenth  century. 

It  is  seen  that  Figure  III  is  nothing  less  than  two  primitive  house  plans 
placed  side  by  side  with  a  passage  between.  This  necessitated  the  loss 
of  the  central  chimney  and  the  construction  of  two  outside  wall  chimneys, 
each  with  a  fireplace.  A  further  development,  though  earlier  and  more 
universal  than  the  foregoing,  consisted  of  doubling  a  second  time  making 
four  rooms  and  fireplaces  but  utilizing  the  same  two  chimneys  as  seen  in 
Figure  IV.  The  conventional  lean-to  roof  is  frequently  observed  in  con- 
nection with  this  plan,  though  never  with  Figure  III.     The  last  and  latest 


[i6] 

step  in  the  growth  of  the  ground  plan  shows  four  principal  rooms,  each 
requiring  a  chimney  and  a  fireplace  of  its  own  (Figure  V),  which  we  recog- 
nize as  the  scheme  adapted  to  the  more  palatial  dwelling,  often  with  hip 
roof  and  brick  ends. 

The  stairway  naturally  confined  itself  to  the  vicinity  of  the  central 
chimney  in  order  that  the  second  story  might  economically  be  the  repeti- 
tion of  the  first.  Alongside  the  chimney  the  stair  was  squeezed  in  a 
limited  space,  therefore  it  was  usually  necessary  to  build  it  in  a  winding 
or  spiral  manner.  In  the  instance  of  the  two  chimney  type,  the  stair  still 
remained  in  the  center  space  —  the  hallway  —  for  the  same  reason.  When 
this  stair  occupied  the  center  and  the  chimney  did  not,  ah  additional 
room,  small  but  doubtless  useful,  often  took  the  space  back  of  the  flight, 
as  in  Figure  III.  Later  the  stairway  often  led  from  one  side  of  a  through 
hallway,  ascending  in  a  straight  run  (except  perhaps  for  a  landing  and 
a  turn  near  the  top)  thus  doing  away  with  the  little  back  room;  Figures 
IV  and  V. 

In  this  brief  resume  of  the  common  manner  in  which  houses  were 
arranged,  it  is  interesting  to  consider  how  similar  and  how  few  were  the 
standard  designs  compared  with  the  vast  number  of  individual  specimens. 
With  an  occasional  exception,  due  to  local  or  perhaps  ambitious  treatment, 
every  house  followed  one  of  the  five  definite  schemes.  In  the  exami- 
nation of  an  old  house,  with  a  view  to  increasing  its  size,  we  are,  there- 
fore, reasonably  sure  to  me  et  with  one  of  these  simple  forms  and  whatever 
the  plan  may  prove  to  be,  the  same  problem  will  present  itself;  —  the 
position  of  an  extention  in  relation  to  the  nucleus. 

Of  the  four  usual  plans  it  is  hard  to  determine  which  provides  the  great- 
est opportunity  for  enlargement,  since  each  is  a  complete  unit  in  itself. 
A  new  wing  will  of  course  be  built  subservient  to  the  unit,  be  dominated 
by  it,  and  take  a  position  back  of  its  front  line. 

OF   COLONIAL   TRUTHS 

If  the  spirit  in  which  a  certain  house  is  built  follows  faithfully  and 
intrinsically  the  principles  of  a  parent  style,  it  then  in  itself  becomes  a 
perfect  example  of  that  style.  The  influence  of  early  Colonial  feeling 
has  so  persisted  through  subsequent  work  that  original  and  later  pro- 
ducts are  looked  upon  as  architecturally  synonomous.  Our  modern 
examples  are,  therefore,  not  imitations  but  rather  developments  of  early 
principles. 

The  term  "Colonial  house,"  as  we  are  accustomed  to  use  and  hear  it, 
may  suggest  either  the  actual  workmanship  of  colony  times,  or  a  present 
day  production  of  the  early  American  form.  And  the  word  has  become 
so  broad  and  general  with  use,  —  owing  to  the  popularity  of  the  type  and 
the  countless  number  of  good  and  bad  examples,  —  that  it  has  grown  to 
mean  almost  any  square  house.  Properly,  the  expression  means  the  old 
specimen,  and  "modern  Colonial"  implies  precisely  what  it  says,  namely, 
the  new  house  after  the  Colonial.     The  history  of  architectural  growth 


[i7l 
in  America  is  illustrated  more  especially  in  contemporary  models  of  a  civic, 
state,  and  religious  character,  while  the  development  of  artistic  expression 
has  been  less  keenly  felt  in  outlying  communities,  which  furnish  most  of 
the  examples  we  would  consider.  Colonial  motifs,  as  we  construe  them, 
began  with  our  forefathers  nearly  three  centuries  ago,  and  with  no  serious 
interruptions  have  survived  and  thrived  as  fixed  standards  of  domestic 
expression.  In  general  the  Colonial  type,  varying  in  its  several  modified 
forms,  continued  until  the  nineteenth  century,  when  there  prevailed  a 
conspicuous  desire  for  representations  of  Greek  or  classic  orders,  com- 
monly knows  as  the  Revival.  But  our  country  homestead,  tucked  away 
on  unfrequented  byways  quite  as  it  always  has  been,  still  carried  its  pure 
Colonial  earmarks  for  another  score  or  more  of  years  after  this  transition. 
So,  we  may  not  incorrectly  consider  the  typical  country  house  of  this  lo- 
cality as  strictly  Colonial  in  plan  and  character,  if  not  in  detail,  provided 
it  dates  earlier  than  about  i84o.  Our  use  of  the  term  here  refers,  however, 
not  only  to  the  original  product  but  to  specimens  of  the  colony  period 
in  Massachusetts  Bay. 

THE   PERIODS 

To  state  that  there  is  but  one  period  of  domestic  Colonial,  extending 
from  the  settlement  of  the  colony  until  the  date  we  have  put,  i84o,  is 
insufficient  for  our  purpose  or  any  general  purpose  of  review.  The  style 
should  be  split  into  more  finite  divisions.  "The  Company  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Bay"  existed  as  a  colony  from  1629  until  the  surrender  of  its 
charter  to  Sir  Edmund  Andros  in  1686  when  it  became  a  royal  province. 
The  Colonial  Period  (the  period  of  early  settlement),  then,  may  be  said 
to  cover  substantially  these  and  the  intervening  years  up  to  the  new  Cen- 
tury. The  people  in  these  times  were  forced  to  depend  largely  on  their 
own  ingenuity  for  inspiration.  They  had  left  England  in  the  grasp  of 
Italian  influence.  The  great  English  masters  had  already  begun  the  work 
that  was  to  live  as  familiar  traditions.  But  we  were  too  isolated  then 
and  perhaps  too  preoccupied  to  feel  the  warmth  of  these  architectural 
flames.  The  construction  of  this  time,  therefore,  was  crude,  destitute 
of  any  elaborate  detail,  and  primitive  in  the  extreme;  but  the  examples 
created  served  as  the  basic  forms  from  which  we  gathered  our  lasting 
inspiration. 

At  the  opening  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  wave  of  provincial 
prosperity  broke  on  these  shores,  there  began  a  fresh  era,  correctly  called 
the  Provincial  Period,  terminating  with  the  birth  of  the  nation.  Foreign 
trade  at  this  time  swelled  to  greater  proportions  and  seaboard  towns 
grew  rich.  The  effect  on  architectural  growth  was  .immediate.  Strong 
characteristic  suggestions  from  the  Georgian  began  to  be  revealed  in 
form,  motif,  and  detail.  Early  in  this  period,  too,  the  gambrel  roof 
attained  its  best  development,  and  by  1760  the  hip  roof  had  appeared. 
The  Federal  Period  began  with  the  close  of  the  War  of  Independence, 
when  good  times,  as  we  would  now  call  them,  accompanied  the  country 


[i8] 

in  its  days  of  early  growth.  The  realm  of  architecture  was  lifted  to 
a  high  level  of  classic  perfection,  exemplified  in  the  beautiful  houses 
preserved  to  us  throughout  New  England,  especially  in  Salem,  New- 
buryport,  and  Portsmouth.  The  dignified  influence  of  Wren  and  Inigo 
Jones  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  later  the  Brothers  Adam,  is  woven 
into  the  work  of  our  own  masters,  of  whom  Mclntire,  Palmer,  and 
Bulfinch  were  typical  exponents.  Naturally  the  outlying  farmhouse  did 
not  feel  the  full  force  of  these  influences,  which  explains  why  it  con- 
tinued to  be  built  through  the  periods  in  much  the  same  manner. 

This  triumph  of  classic  purity  lost  little  of  its  splendor  until  a  decade 
or  two  of  the  nineteenth  century  had  passed,  when  it  began  to  show  signs 
of  decadency.  The  traditional  types  became  over-elaborated,  our  en- 
thusiasm for  the  English  forms  cooled  down,  and  a  sweeping  passion  for 
the  Greek  orders  controlled  American  principles.  People  call  this  epoch 
the  Greek  Revival.  And  we  all  know  how  the  decline  continued  in  build- 
ing, finishing,  and  furniture,  until  it  took  the  decided  form  of  a  period  in 
the  forties.  The  Colonial  tradition  was  forgotten.  New  buildings  sprang 
up  gaily  ornamented  with  jig-saw  work  and  promiscuous  carvings;  fine 
old  houses  were  defaced  by  tacking  on  Victorian  verandas  and  French 
roofs;  classic  moldings  and  paneled  walls  were  papered;  and  in  furni- 
ture we  remember  an  even  greater  descent  in  taste.  It  all  proved  too 
riotous  to  last,  and  toward  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  century  the 
artistic  public  turned  back  with  calm  respect  to  the  beauty  of  the 
Colonial  and  Georgian  traditions. 

In  remodeling  experiments  we  must  be  influenced  wholly  by  the  ex- 
pressions in  vogue  at  the  time  our  house  was  built,  and  not  in  the  least 
by  anterior  or  subsequent  modes  that  may  or  may  not  appear  in  its  present 
composition. 

The  familiar  farmhouse  of  New  England,  as  we  see  and  analyze  it, 
signifies  principally  the  natural  and  reasonable  result  of  the  conditions 
peculiar  to  the  settlements  in  their  growing  stages.  While  the  essentials, 
to  be  sure,  must  be  accepted  as  definite  traditions,  the  local  and  home- 
made atmosphere  is  more  pronounced  in  primitive  examples  than  is  the 
distant  influence  of  architectural  feeling.  The  well  defined  truths  in 
architecture  were  bound  to  creep  into  subsequent  styles,  as  the  Greek, 
the  Italian,  the  French,  and  Georgian  motifs  appeared  obscurely  or  clearly 
in  the  later  Colonial,  but  those  few  old  world  standards,  when  employed, 
were  so  completely  molded  to  fit  our  existing  needs  that  the  product 
of  our  Colonial  truths  is  our  own  intuitive  conception  of  domestic  methods. 

So  the  old  house  we  see  now-a-days  along  country  roads  and  village 
streets  and  perhaps  standing  alone  and  out  of  place  in  the  crowded  midst 
of  some  recent  suburban  "development"  is  the  venerated  Colonial  type 
of  traditional  expression.  It  began  when  the  colony  began;  and  is  passed 
down  to  us  as  the  most  useful  heirloom  of  all  that  we  have  inherited  from 
our  fathers.  It  was  well  made,  —  and  so  logically  made  that  we  are  not 
only  persuaded  to  preserve  and  occupy  it,  but  wish  to  perpetuate  its  ideals 


[iq] 

in  our  modern  building.  It  is  an  architectural  fact  that  a  square  house 
allows  the  absolute  maximum  of  space.  The  first  and  greatest  feature 
of  the  Colonial  scheme  is  its  angular,  rightangular  or  rather  rectangular 
form;  it  permits  no  curves,  no  obliquities,  no  intricacies,  no  waste  room. 
This  offers  a  good  reason  why  the  colonists  adopted  the  rigid  plan.  The 
city  office  building  of  to-day,  constructed  on  precious  soil,  imitates  the 
idea  in  order  to  utilize  the  entire  space  in  the  most  economical  manner. 

EARMARKS    AND   HISTORY 

Though  the  first  settlers  who  came  to  New  England  shores  may  have 
brought  with  them  vivid  impressions  of  architecture  based  on  prevailing 
essentials  in  Old  England,  there  is  little  evidence  of  true  artistic  effort 
until  late  in  the  seventeenth  century.  And  this  we  can  fully  appreciate 
in  view  of  the  singleness  of  purpose  and  the  limitations  and  hardships 
of  our  sturdy  forefathers.  The  cellar  and  log-hut  period  was  temporary. 
With  the  arrival  of  English  craftsmen  and  artisans  house  framing  was 
diligently  begun,  at  first  in  a  crude  and  homemade  manner,  but  suggest- 
ing, nevertheless,  the  country  cottage  of  England  in  general  character. 
In  early  examples  we  recognize  the  overhang,  the  steep  pitch  of  the  roof, 
casement  windows  and  the  outside  chimney  as  features  of  contemporary 
work  in  the  mother  country.  By  the  term  overhang  is  meant  the  out- 
side wall  projection  of  the  second  story  over  the  first  or  even  the  third 
over  the  second,  and  not  the  overlap  of  the  gable  roof.  This  salient  point, 
though  common  enough  in  the  little  English  half-timbered  cottage  of  the 
time  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  is  here  regarded  as  la  chose  de  prix  in  early  house 
construction.  The  few  and  finest  examples  remaining  are  pronounced 
only  in  the  well  known  landmarks,  among  them  the  Boardman  House, 
Saugus,  about  i65o;  the  Parson  Capen  House,  Topsfield,  1689;  and  the 
Whipple  House  in  Ipswich,  i633.  Lingering  suggestions  of  the  overhang, 
modified  and  corrupted,  are  still  found  here  and  there  along  distant  coun- 
try roads  in  old  farmhouses  and  especially  in  barns.  The  early  roofs 
were  laid  at  a  steep  pitch  primarily  for  thatch,  but  the  roofs  themselves 
did  not  lose  their  sharp  angle  until  long  after  shingles  replaced  the  roofing 
of  reeds  and  straw.  We  are  also  inclined  to  believe  that  the  settler's  new 
house,  like  the  Indian's  old  tepee,  was  built  thus  to  shed  the  heavy  snows. 
This  familiar  roof  common  to  many  styles  of  architecture  was  of  course 
copied  from  the  old  homes  in  England,  and  to  this  day  has  survived  as 
the  most  popular  roof  treatment. 

It  often  goes  by  the  names  "pitch  roof,"  "straight  gable,"  or  "straight 
pitch."  The  American  Dutch  form,  commonly  called  gambrel,  came  to 
be  used  by  the  opening  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  is  strictly  an  Ameri- 
can idea.  It  was  known  neither  in  Holland  nor  in  England,  but  developed 
among  the  New  York  settlements  as  a  roof  device  permitting  a  greater 
amount  of  available  space  without  the  necessity  of  building  another 
actual  story.  The  style,  characteristic  of  cottages  and  small  houses,  has 
grown  in  popularity  as  the  solution  of  this  problem.     The  oblique  angles 


[20] 

allowed  more  head  room  in  the  garret,  and  suggested  an  easy  and  harmo- 
nious application  of  dormers. 

When  we  began  to  build  those  square,  dignified  mansions  during  the 
last  two  periods  of  Colonial  development,  like  Figures  IV  and  V,  there 
was  evidently  need  of  a  change  in  roof  treatment,  which  brought  into 
vogue  the  hip  or  hipped  roof,  ■ —  a  flattened  pitch  with  no  gable  ends  and 
meeting  at  a  point  or  a  ridge.  As  the  house  itself  was  now  made  larger, 
there  was  perhaps  less  call  for  putting  the  top  story  to  use,  for  this  new 
type  of  roof,  if  uninterrupted  by  dormers,  afforded  even  less  space  than 
the  other  two  fcrms.  Commonly  enough,  though,  when  dormers  were 
built,  and  built  on  all  four  slants,  an  impossibility  in  the  pitched  or  gam- 
brel,  more  room  than  ever  was  given.  This  doubtless  explains  why 
the  hip  roof  was  usually  the  kind  used  on  large  pretentious  dwellings. 

As  for  windows,  scarcely  a  vestige  remains  of  the  early  latticed  case- 
ment, which  again  was  a  distinct  imitation  of  the  English  usage.  The 
panes  were  diamond  shaped,  though  sometimes  square,  and  leaded.  In 
the  time  of  the  Georges  the  casement  began  to  be  considered  impractical, 
and  consequently  lived  a  short  life  in  our  country.  To  us  the  familiar 
window  is  the  double  hung  sliding  sash  with  small  rectangular  lights  set 
in  wooden  muntins.  This  is  our  own  modification  of  English  window 
treatment,  and  in  America  is  characteristic  only  of  the  eighteenth  and 
nineteenth  century  buildings.  Only  when  construction  indicates  upon 
examination  that  the  windows  were  casements,  single  hung,  it  is  appro- 
priate to  imitate  these  in  restoration.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  fresh 
discoveries  can  now  be  made  showing  this  early  feature.  We  know  and 
appreciate  the  small  square  panes,  and  it  is  hard  to  picture  an  old  house 
with  any  other  type  of  glass.  In  all  modern  Colonial  and  Georgian  work, 
as  in  all  restorative  attempts,  this  lineament  is  properly  repeated.  At 
first  these  windows  were  designed  very  small  and  narrow,  the  lower  sash 
being  larger  and  containing  more  divisions  than  the  upper  or  vice  versa. 
Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  sash  began  to  be  made  equal  in  size 
and  number  of  lights,  while  the  windows  themselves  became  larger  and 
more  evenly  distributed. 

Our  early  farmhouse  was  rarely  of  brick;  and  almost  never  of  stone 
or  stucco  like  its  contemporary  in  England.  Among  the  Virginia  plan- 
tations brick  was  the  prevailing  material,  and  in  New  Netherlands  stone 
and  stucco.  The  great  wealth  of  timber  lands  immediately  surrounding 
the  settlements  afforded  the  obvious  building  material,  but  it  is  doubtful 
whether  useful  forest  trees  grew  any  more  productively  in  New  England 
than  in  the  settlements  of  the  South  and  New  York.  The  dissimilarity  of 
ideas  of  construction,  however,  can  perhaps  be  explained  best  by  the 
differences  of  internal  conditions  of  the  colonies,  the  rate  at  which  crafts- 
men immigrated,  and  the  temperaments,  manners,  and  occupations  of  the 
colonists  themselves,  and  not  by  any  direct  influence  of  old  country  tradi- 
tions. Though  the  methods  followed  in  framing  corresponded  to  the 
half-timbered  construction  in  England,  the  full  frame  house  may  be  said 


[21] 

to  be  quite  our  own  adaptation.  Except  for  chimneys  of  brick  or  stone, 
and  brick  filling  laid  between  the  studs  of  the  exterior  walls,  our  northern 
farmhouses  both  within  and  without,  were  done  in  oak,  white  pine,  and 
cypress  woods.  Dwelling  houses  with  brick  ends  and  entirely  of  brick 
were  not  common  until  well  into  the  eighteenth  century.  Not  only  was 
the  spirit  of  the  Georgian  principles  responsible  for  this,  but  the  gradual 
decrease  of  virgin  forests,  which  had  supplied  the  convenient  and  logical 
building  material  for  more  than  a  century,  brought  about  the  necessity 
of  accepting  a  proper  substitute.  With  reference  to  wood  as  the  common 
fuel,  but  significant  in  this  connection,  Franklin  wrote  as  early  as  1745, 
"wood,  which  within  these  hundred  years  might  be  had  at  every  man's 
door,  must  now  be  fetched  near  one  hundred  miles  to  some  towns."  It 
was  evidently  a  simpler  and  cheaper  matter  in  certain  localities  to  fetch 
brick  for  building  purposes  than  to  cut,  saw,  and  haul  wood,  since  by  this 
time  brick  was  both  manufactured  in  New  England  and  imported.  But 
we  must  also  attribute  the  apparent  delay  in  recognizing  this  durable 
commodity  as  further  proof  of  the  conservatism  of  Colonial  workmanship. 

In  this  modern  day  of  civilized  comfort  it  may  be  hard  to  picture  the 
full  significance  of  the  grave  and  perilous  conditions  which  confronted  the 
early  pioneers.  The  native  Indian  and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  land  were 
certainly  to  be  reckoned  with.  Our  histories,  town  records,  and  fireside 
tales  can  give  but  a  mere  suggestion  of  the  vital  reality  of  things.  We 
can  have  no  better  proof  of  the  customary  protective  methods  than  the 
household  relics  and  the  manner  in  which  houses  themselves  were  made. 
A  great  number  of  landmarks  preserved  to  our  day  were  built  as  garrsion 
houses;  the  brick  walls,  above  alluded  to,  were  for  protection  as  well  as 
for  warmth;  we  find  constant  reference  to  stockades  and  palisades;  the 
overhang,  though  not  built  for  the  purpose  is  asserted  to  have  served  as 
a  household  fortress  in  attacking  Indians  as  they  approached  the  doors 
and  windows  below;  and  the  blinds  and  shutters,  common  to  every  house 
of  to-day  for  quite  another  reason,  were  originally  designed  to  prevent 
annoyance  from  unwelcome  visitors. 

Trained  architects  were  few  and  expensive.  They  were  employed  to 
supervise  the  erection  of  public  buildings,  while  little  professional  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  simple  farmsteads.  The  folk  on  the  distant  border  re- 
moved from  growing  centers,  served  usually  as  their  own  carpenters  with 
the  assistance  of  local  craftsmen,  very  much  as  the  rural  countryman  of 
to-day  gathers  his  inspiration  from  prevailing  styles  and  lets  out  his  con- 
tract to  the  nearby  carpenter-and-builder.  The  standards  of  both  plan 
and  construction  are  seen  to  be  conservative  and  consistent.  One  old 
house  is  like  another,  for  the  carpenters,  having  completed  one  dwelling, 
traveled  on  to  the  next  to  repeat  their  previous  successes. 

To  warrant  the  purchase  of  an  old  house  for  the  purpose  of  remodeling, 
we  may  well  expect  it  to  show  at  least  some  of  the  many  early  features 
so  generally  looked  for  and  so  widely  admired.  If  the  house  is  a  typical 
sample  of  the  so-called  Colonial  Period  it  will  be  seen  to  follow  in  its  ground 


[M] 

plan  Figures  I,  II,  or  IV.  It  has  or  once  had  a  pitch  roof,  central  chimney 
or  two  ridge  chimneys,  no  roof  projection  at  the  gable  ends,  small  pane 
windows  with  heavy  muntins,  and  sash  of  different  size  and  number  of 
divisions  even  in  a  single  window.  We  may  also  expect  to  find  paneling, 
exposed  girts,  posts  and  summers,  deep  fire  holes,  ovens  and  wide  hearths, 
short  spacing  between  first  and  second  story  windows  indicating  a  low 
interior  stud,  and  probably  a  lean-to  sweep  to  the  rear  roof.  While  there 
are  many  other  points  characteristic  of  this  age  which  would  assist  the 
student  in  his  examination,  they  would  have  to  do  mainly  with  details 
of  framing,  a  field  we  do  not  enter  upon  in  this  brief  work. 

In  the  next  era,  designated  as  the  Provincial  Period,  houses  were  still 
designed  like  Figures  II  and  IV,  with  the  introduction  of  buildings  of  a 
more  stately  kind  similar  to  Figure  V.  Though  few  or  none  of  the  fore- 
going features  are  now  lost,  they  are  seen  to  be  modified  and  treated  by 
reason  of  wider  facilities  and  more  artistic  influences.  As  suggested  in  an 
earlier  paragraph,  the  examples  of  the  eighteenth  century  are  naturally 
less  primitive  and  more  decorative.  In  conjunction  with  plans  after  Figure 
V,  however,  the  early  details  are  usually  lacking  since  such  houses  re- 
flected English  manners  and  modes  of  living.  We  recognize  the  gambrel 
and  hip  roof  as  developments  of  this  period. 

All  three  plans,  —  Figures  II,  IV,  and  V,  —  were  still  common  in  the 
Federal  Period,  and  even  Figure  III,  a  mediocre  form  in  arrangement 
and  detail,  became  popular  as  a  localism  in  Massachusetts.  Omitting 
those  few  conservative  builders  who  clung  to  former  traditions,  the  work 
in  general  shows  decreasing  evidence  of  paneling,  big  fireplaces,  brick 
ovens,  lean-to  roofs  or  projecting  interior  beams  (except  corner  posts). 
Things  architectural  were  no  longer  completely  Colonial,  but  rejoiced  in 
beautiful  expressions  from  the  English,  the  Italians  and  even  the  Greeks. 

The  monument  out  of  these  distant  centuries  was  the  best  house,  the 
typical  home,  the  mansion  of  the  well-to-do.  It  was  fashioned  in  sound 
and  steadfast  stock  beyond  all  possibility  in  this  superficial  day;  it  wore 
the  coat  of  artistic  grace  from  which  we  have  gathered  a  lasting  inspiration. 
Made  to  live  in  and  adorned  to  please,  it  needs  but  the  modern  touch  to 
bring  it  again  into  its  own. 

.  .  .  he  made  a  chimney  in  my  father's  house, 
And  the  bricks  are  alive  at  this  day  to  testify  it.,, 


-TlGVRE-I- 


•FIGVR.E-H- 


-FlGVRE-IH- 


TicvBE-iy- 


-FlGrVRE-V- 


DuXBURY 

BUILT   ABOUT    1796 

REMODELED    igi3 

EDWARD   G.    REED 

Architect 


PLATE  I 


PLATE  I 


1  HE  peak  was  the  work  of  some  forty  years  ago.  While  it  may  have 
supplied  the  increase  of  space  required,  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  roof 
treatment  could  have  defaced  more  completely  the  artistic  beauty  of  the  little 
cottage.  The  second  view  shows  the  ease  with  which  a  dormer  —  archi- 
tecturally harmonious  —  can  give  even  a  greater  amount  of  room  than  the 
hideous  peak.  Furthermore,  the  emphasis  which  was  formerly  central- 
ized on  the  peak  itself  is  now  brought  down  to  the  porch  and  doorway 
where  it  belongs.  In  mass  and  detail  the  porch  reflects  something  of  the 
tone  of  Mackinlire's  work,  which  gives  a  touch  of  classic  delicacy.  The 
plan  is  a  modification  of  Figure  IV. 


■ .  ■  ■  •."■ 


C<  OH  ASSET 
BUILT  1765 
ADDITIONS    igOO   AND    1908 

BOWDITCH   &   STRATTON 

Architects 


PLATE  II 


PLATE  II 


XlERE  nothing  less  than  a  rambling  country  house  was  made  to  fit  against 
the  rear  of  a  tiny  "cape  cottage,"  —  the  simplest  of  our  types  receiving  the 
most  elaborate  treatment.  The  fisherman's  familiar  home,  peculiar  to 
the  shores  of  Massachusetts  Bay  and  Plymouth  Colonies,  usually  resem- 
bled Figure  II  as  the  plan  best  suited  to  simple  needs,  though  Figure  IV, 
modified  in  form  and  diminished  in  size,  was  often  employed.  The  new 
construction  is  treated  with  such  quaint  frankness  that  it  is  hard  to  differ- 
entiate it  from  the  original  part,  dimly  visible  on  the  extreme  right.  The 
old  woodshed  was  moved  and  now  forms  the  little  ell  on  the  left  which  helps 
to  carry  on  the  long  horizontal  lines. 


Mm 


L/EDHAM 

OLD   NORFOLK  HOTEL 

BUILT    1 80 1 

CONVERTED   TO   A   DWELLING     igo5 


PLATE  III 


FRANK   CHOUTEAU   BROWN 

Architect 


1 


P   |H 


PLATE  III 


LJESIGNED  for  a  hostelry,  this  Federal  example  disregards  our  conven- 
tional plans,  though  it  resembles  in  some  degree  Figure  V.  Brick  was 
widely  used  at  this  period,  particularly  in  town  houses  and  public  build- 
ings, and  at  some  lime  during  the  intervening  years  the  exterior  was  painted 
a  gray-white,  which  now  has  been  removed  to  give  the  brickwork  its  nat- 
ural contrast  of  color.  The  long  front  elevation  needed  some  relief  as  well 
as  a  central  emphasis;  the  Southern  Colonial  porch  solved  both  problems. 
Fence  work  and  gates  are  also  Southern  in  feeling,  and  Ionic  capitals 
are  appropriately  modified  to  a  Colonial  form. 


t         (  *       I       C     € 


Dedham 
built  about  1745 
bemodeled  i9o7  and  icji3 
pabkeb,  thomas  &  bice 

Architects 

BICHABDSON,  BABBOT  &  BICHABDSON 

Architects  of  farther  alteration,  1913 


PLATE  IV 


PLATE   IV 


1  HE  first  view  was  made  when  this  house  touched  its  low  water  mark  of 
poor  repair.  While  the  exterior  covering  was  literally  in  shatters,  the 
sills  and  joists  were  found  to  be  sound  and  true.  For  several  years  the 
properly  was  little  better  than  a  deserted  farm,  concealing  within  a  rich 
display  of  early  features.  Common  to  the  old-lime  mode  of  life,  and  even 
to  this  day  in  our  back  country  districts,  the  front  doorway  was  not  the 
hospitable  entrance.  The  great  kitchen,  with  Us  little  dingy  pathways 
on  the  floor-boards,  converging  at  the  outer  door,  served  as  a  warm,  cozy 
centre  of  home  life,  and  year  after  year  received  family  and  guests  alike. 
The  new  porch  gives  the  receptive  touch  to  the  logical  entrance,  and  indi- 
cates the  utility  of  the  two  corresponding  rooms  on  the  front.  The  use 
of  the  wide  hand  made  shingles  relieves  the  customary  effect  of  narrow 
clapboards,  and  suggests  the  familiar  treatment  of  our  modern  Long  Island 
houses. 

To  ensure  greater  privacy,  which  gives  an  excuse  for  further  Colonial 
feeling,  the  fence  was  designed  and  constructed  by  Mr.  Richardson  in 
1909.  And  four  years  later  he  added  the  library  wing  with  outdoor 
sleeping  accommodations  above.  This  extension  was  dropped  to  a  lower 
ground  level  than  the  main  house,  and  notwithstanding  the  long  French 
windows,  the  passerby  can  neither  see  nor  be  seen  by  occupants  of  the  big 
room.     The  house  illustrates  Figure  II, 


Dover 
built  i8o4 

REMODELED    IQo6 

PHILIP   B.   HOWARD 

Architect 


PLATE  V 


PLATE  V 


A.  SPLENDID  example  of  Figure  V  with  brick  ends.  Though  the  premises 
in  the  first  view  show  but  little  indication  of  former  prosperity,  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  one  hundred  years  ago  it  was  as  beautiful  a 
country  home  as  it  appears  today.  Its  date,  plan,  and  detail  suggest 
that  the  early  owner  was  a  well-h-do  gentleman  of  the  squire  type,  —  and 
according  to  hearsay  and  records  so  he  was.  It  is  interesting  to  observe 
the  superiority  of  this  building  in  character  and  design  over  such  houses 
of  contemporary  date  as  seen  in  Plates  XIX  and  XXII.  The  type  lends 
itself  to  even  greater  development  and  further  slateliness,  like  the  work 
accomplished  on  the  Soulhborough  residence,  Plate  IX.  The  harmo- 
nious use  of  balustrades  on  roof,  piazza,  and  porch  give  the  house  an 
immediate  tone  of  dignity  and  stability. 


1  I    't    !    '  ,'    ■  ',.".*■'   ■        I       <       c    ' 


QHERBORN 
BUILT  1783 
REMODELED    IO,o3 

DWIGHT   &   CHANDLER 

Architects 


PLATE  VI 


PLATE  VI 


1  HE  first  view — the  earliest  and  only  original  available — appears  more  as 
a  lovely  bit  of  New  England  landscape  than  an  architectural  study.  The 
old  house,  nevertheless,  may  be  seen  to  resemble  Figure  II  and  belong  to 
the  dignified  Federal  Period.  But  curiously  enough  it  differs  from  the 
usual  form  in  that  the  fireplaces  are  four  in  number  on  the  first  floor 
instead  of  three,  and  placed  in  the  angles  of  the  chimney.  This  modified 
arrangement  gives  four  rooms  of  nearly  equal  size,  each  with  a  corner 
fireplace,  the  easterly  corner  room  (beyond  the  porte-cochere)  being  the 
hall  with  stair.  The  exterior,  however,  with  hip  roof,  central  chimney, 
and  large  windows  evenly  spaced,  forms  that  typical  homestead  affair 
familiar  to  all  New  Englanders.  In  addition  to  the  necessary  restora- 
tion, the  only  extensions  consisted  of  the  dormer,  porte-cochere,  and  north 
wing.  The  stately  freedom  of  Georgian  treatment  is  beautified  by  the 
deep  shadows  of  leaves  on  the  shining  white  surfaces  of  the  house,  an 
effect  which  England  never  knew. 


Oherborn 
built  about  1 679 

REMODELED    igo5-I9l4 

CHARLES   E.    BARNES 

Architect 


PLATE  VII 


PLATE  VII 


1  HIS  little  farmhouse,  like  the  Concord  example  in  Plate  XXVIII,  has  been 
successfully  eclipsed  by  the  modern  construction  around,  above,  and 
beyond  it.  The  original  nucleus,  concealed  behind  the  first  two  columns, 
appears  now  to  be  little  more  than  the  starling  point  from  which  a  new 
house  was  built.  Since  additions  were  undertaken  every  year,  and  each 
time  in  view  of  new  conditions  and  changeable  requirements,  the  finished 
product  is  of  necessity  a  miscellaneous  composition  with  no  emphatic 
central  part.  And  we  will  agree  that  while  the  unique  interest  of  the  house 
is  increased  rather  than  impaired  by  these  heterogeneous  changes,  the 
result,  architecturally  considered,  is  a  lesson  that  we  design,  construct, 
and  complete  our  house  at  one  time.  The  four  rooms  of  the  old  house 
still  exist,  and  retain  their  ancient  appearance  with  fireplaces,  exposed 
beams,  and  low  stud. 


-DOLTON 

BUILT   ABOUT    1788 

RESTOBED    igi^ 

BIGELOW   &    WADSWOBTH 

Architects 


PLATE  VIII 


i 


PLATE  VIII 


£ 


1.  HE  second  photograph  shows  the  main  house  not  only  as  it  stands  today, 
but  also  as  it  probably  appeared  when  built,  while  the  first  view  illustrates 
the  experience  through  which  it  passed  during  that  unfortunate  epoch 
when  people  were  casting  about  to  improve  on  established  standards. 
Removing  the  piazza  and  the  bay  with  its  pediment  began  to  reveal  the  true 
beauty  of  the  lines.  The  twin  ells  were  additions  of  nearly  one  hundred 
years  ago,  and  have  now  been  embodied  in  the  composition  as  miniatures 
of  the  central  portion,  reflecting  Us  feeling  both  in  character  and  detail. 
The  old  house  follows  the  plan  of  Figure  IV,  —  two  corresponding  chim- 
neys and  four  rooms.  As  in  other  similar  examples  of  this  treatment, 
the  combination  of  hip  roof,  balustrades,  and  elliptical  top-light  gives  a 
refined  and  harmonious  impression.  Without  the  little  connecting  links 
—  recessed  and  insignificant  —  between  the  wings  and  the  main  house, 
the  wings  themselves  could  not  have  held  positions  flush  with  its  front  line, 
since  the  result  would  be  an  unbroken  frontage  of  nearly  one  hundred  feet. 


OOUTHBOROUGH 
BUILT  l8l2 
REMODELED  igog 

CHARLES  M.  BAKER 

Archilecl 


PLATE  IX 


PLATE  IX 


IN  the  category  of  the  searcher  of  old  houses  this  may  welt  be  called  a 
rare  find.  Brick  ends  and  four  lateral  chimneys  are  reasonably  sure  to 
identify  the  house  as  a  typical  exponent  of  the  Federal  Period,  follow- 
ing the  usual  plan  in  Figure  V.  This  example  of  construction  has  its 
contemporaries  in  the  familiar  dwellings  at  Salem,  Newburyport,  and 
Portsmouth. 

Since  the  requirements  necessitated  a  great  increase  of  space,  the  orig- 
inal nucleus  was  found  to  be  insufficiently  prominent  to  sustain  the  new 
wings.  Therefore  the  old  part  was  skillfully  emphasized  by  changing 
the  hip  roof  to  a  straight  gable,  and  by  carrying  up  the  brick  ends  to  sup- 
port and  relieve  the  chimneys.  In  order  to  render  the  central  portion 
still  more  pronounced  Us  cornice  was  raised  two  feet  and  ornamented  with 
a  Doric  motif.  This  structural  change,  radical  and  difficult  as  it  may 
appear,  gave  the  same  floor  levels  within  and  yet  allowed  the  wings  to  be 
dominated  by  the  centre  of  the  composition. 


t  .     •  <,   '  < 


.:  I-'-.'/-.'-.'-  ':•  ••:•' 


r  RAMINGHAM 
BUILT    ABOUT    1 696 
REMODELED    1897 


PLATE  X 


•  .  •      »    '  '    • .. ,  > 


•  »*  1       ,       * 


•    ••'.•.:•: 


PLATE  X 


(JLD  houses  after  this  pattern,  Dutch  in  character,  with  the  conventional 
gambrel  roof,  are  not  common  in  this  region.  Not  long  before  the  date 
of  this  house  the  type  had  its  origin  among  the  settlers  of  New  Netherlands, 
and  Us  influence  has  reached  to  the  present  day  as  a  popular  style  of  treat- 
ment in  the  design  of  small  dwellings  in  particular.  The  nucleus  is 
seen  to  lend  itself  to  no  great  scheme  of  enlargement,  its  charm  lying  in 
the  cozy  and  compact  unity  of  form.  Besides  interior  changes  the  work 
consisted  of  little  more  than  repairs,  dormer  windows,  paint,  and  trans- 
forming tlie  woodshed  into  a  kitchen.  The  house,  which  resembles 
Figure  IV  on  a  small  scale,  was  built  by  one  of  the  Howe  family  of  Way- 
side Inn  fame,  and  stands  not  a  mile  up  the  old  winding  road  from  the 
renowned  liostelry. 


r  RAMINGHAM 
BUILT    l8oO 
REBUILT    I906 

HARTLEY  DENNETT 

Architect 


PLATE  XI 


PLATE  XI 


1  HE  persistent  conservatism  of  early  workmanship  in  the  construction  of 
farmhouses  is  demonstrated  in  such  an  ancient  type  as  this  specimen, 
built  a  century  or  more  after  Us  model  was  established.  Not  only  do  we 
find  the  floor  plan  an  exact  duplicate  of  one  of  the  original  New  England 
standards  (Figure  II),  but  the  leanto,  the  windows,  the  proportionate 
lines,  and  many  of  the  interior  details  are  features  common  to  early  Colonial 
forms.  Houses  complying  with  Figures  I V  and  V  were  more  frequently 
built  as  late  as  the  first  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  while  in  most  local- 
ities this  Figure  II  plan  had  begun  to  lose  Us  popularity  by  1800.  Again 
we  are  impressed  with  the  beauty  and  value  of  big  trees  surrounding  old 
homesteads.  According  to  the  expert  statement  of  specialists  the  massive 
tree,  widely  known  as  the  Rugg  Elm,  is  estimated  to  be  over  four  hundred 
years  of  age.  The  constant  care  of  such  a  unique  landmark  has  naturally 
grown  to  be  more  of  a  pleasure  than  a  burden. 


r  RAMINGHAM 

BUILT  ABOUT    1 83  5 
REMODELED    1907 

CHARLES   M.    BAKER 

Architect 


PLATE  XII 


J^ftVS;  5 


PLATE  XII 


A  PLAIN  village-street  house  with  few  traditional  earmarks  becomes  an 
artistic  dwelling,  —  apparently  every  inch  Colonial.  The  exterior  changes 
were  so  skillfully  accomplished  that  more  than  one  student  of  old  houses 
has  been  deceived  as  to  character  and  date  of  the  original.  In  spite  of 
some  few  exterior  features,  the  house  most  certainly  has  the  sturdy  look 
of  many  early  examples.  The  main  part  was  doubled  in  depth,  a  new 
roof  built  to  cover  it,  and  a  heavy  chimney  erectedin  the  centre  of  the  new 
unit.    Still  visible  in  the  garret  are  the  old  roof  frame,  ridge,  and  shingles. 


r  RAMINGHAM 

COUNTRY   CLUB 

BUILT   ABOUT    l6g4   (OLDEST   PART) 

RESTORED  ig02,  HARTLEY  DENNETT 

Architect 

ADDITIONS  igiO,  CHARLES  M.  BAKER 

Architect 


PLATE  XIII 


PLATE  XIII 


A.  REMARKABLE  example  of  a  dilapidated  farmhouse  converted  into  a 
modern  country  club.  Like  many  houses  of  contemporary  date,  one 
half  the  main  building  shows  evidence  of  earlier  construction,  while  the 
corresponding  half  —  from  the  chimney  running  west  —  and  the  leanto 
were  later  additions.  Points  in  the  framing  and  a  difference  in  floor 
levels  indicate  that  the  original  nucleus  was  probably  the  typical  one  room 
and  chimney  affair  which,  with  the  additions,  first  became  Figure  I  in 
plan,  and  finally  Figure  II.  The  old  kitchen  under  the  leanto  and  the 
room  to  the  right  are  now  thrown  together  to  form  a  large  club  rendezvous, 
similar  to  the  present  room  in  the  Lincoln  House  in  Plate  XXVII. 


•      •  4  •  •     j 


OUDBURY 

WAYSIDE  INN 

BUILT    1689 

RESTORED   AND   IMPROVED    1 897 

R.   M.   BAILEY 

Architect 


COURTESY    E.   R.    LEMON,   ESQ. 


PLATE  XIV 


PLATE  XIV 


COURTESY    E.    R.    LEMON,    ESQ. 

RARE  combination  of  an  old  house,  an  historic  spot,  and  a  comfortable 
hostelry.  For  a  century  and  a  half  before  Longfellow  immortalized  it 
with  the  publication  of  his  "  Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn,"  the  place  was 
widely  known,  first  as  "Howe's  Tavern  in  Sudbury"  and  later,  —  in 
1746,  —  as  "  The  Red  Horse  Tavern."  For  four  successive  generations, 
covering  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  years,  it  was  maintained  as  a 
tavern  by  the  Howes,  —  David,  Ezekiel,  Adam,  and  Lyman  by  name, 
four  sturdy  and  longlived  New  England  gentlemen. 

The  main  part,  a  good  example  of  Figure  IV,  originally  had  a  large 
leanto  on  the  north,  while  the  gambrel  roof  was  an  alteration  of  later  years. 
As  for  the  wing  to  the  right,  it  was  once  a  separate  building  and  was  moved 
to  its  present  position  when  the  coaching  business  was  brisk  and  the  land- 
lord needed  additional  room  to  provide  for  his  guests.  About  the  year 
1800  a  second  ell  on  the  left  was  added,  another  indication  of  the  increase 
of  trade. 


Sudbury 
built  i 838 

REMODELED    igOO,    R.    M.    BAILEY 

Architect 

IMPROVED    igi 5,    W.    D.    AUSTIN 

Architect 


PLATE  XV 


PLATE  XV 


CONSIDERING  the  poor  nucleus  at  hand,  —  a  house  of  uninteresting 
period  and  little  character,  —  a  finished  product  of  unexpected  beauty 
is  the  result.  A  slight  Southern  Colonial  suggestion,  though  perhaps 
incorporated  unconsciously  by  the  builder,  is  emphasized  in  the  altera- 
tions and  now  forms  the  predominant  feeling.  The  one  story  front  porch 
of  the  old  house  intimated  to  the  owner  the  possibility  of  extending  the 
entire  gable  to  meet  new  columns  running  up  two  stories,  thus  giving  the 
decided  Southern  tone.  When  a  house  follows  none  of  the  common  plans 
—  as  in  this  case  —  the  opportunities  for  remodeling  are  greatly  lessened; 
in  truth  there  are  no  Colonial  "possibilities"  in  a  building  that  is  not  in 
the  least  Colonial  in  character.  Well  kept  lawns,  avenues,  and  shrubs 
help  surprisingly  to  bring  about  the  general  change,  as  is  clearly  shown  in 
these  views. 


OUDBURY 
BUILT    l84o 
REMODELED    IQo3 

JOSEPH.  I.    BARNES 

Architect 


PLATE  XVI 


PLATE  XVI 


1  HOUGH  the  plan  is  a  popular  form  (Figure  III)  illustrating  the  lingering 
persistence  of  Colonial  feeling,  in  contour  and  detail  the  house  plainly 
betrays  the  age  it  was  built.  Country  dwellings  of  brick  were  not  common 
at  any  time  in  Massachusetts,  in  spite  of  the  certainty  that  bricks  as 
early  as  the  seventeenth  century  were  both  manufactured  here  and  fetched 
from  England  and  Holland.  In  comparing  this  example  with  the  resi- 
dence in  Plate  XV,  built  about  the  same  lime  on  a  neighboring  farm,  the 
former  portrays  the  last  dying  phases  of  traditional  truths,  while  the  latter 
shows  the  beginning  of  the  so-called  transition.  The  new  ells  are  seen 
to  follow  the  old  part  in  detail  and  character,  and  fall  back  from  its  front 
line. 


Wayland 

BUILT    1774 

RESTORED    l8()4   AND    1899 

JOSEPH    P.    LOUD 

Architect 


PLATE  XVII 


PLATE  XVII 


1  HE  original  windows  with  many  small  lights  were  discovered  in  the  chicken 
house.  The  models  were  copied  and  the  building  now  carries  the  proper 
detail.  In  character,  proportions,  and  plan  (Figure  II)  this  house  is 
almost  identical  with  the  notable  Harrington  House  at  Lexington,  though 
the  detail  is  somewhat  more  elaborate  than  in  most  examples  of  contempo- 
rary work  in  this  neighborhood.  The  dentilled  cornice  gives  a  classic  tone 
which  is  skillfully  carried  out  in  the  new  additions. 


W  AYLAND 
BUILT    171^ 
RESTORED    I 884 
REMODELED    I()o5 


PLATE  XVIII 


■ 


PLATE  XVIII 


UNE  of  the  first  attempts  at  restoration  in  this  vicinity,  and  a  more  charm- 
ing subject  could  scarcely  have  been  selected.  The  plan  agrees  with 
Figure  II.  Among  the  interesting  early  features,  the  exterior  walls 
between  the  studding  are  lined  with  brick,  and  wide  paneling,  now  restored 
and  exposed  in  two  rooms,  was  found  to  be  covered  with  seven  layers  of 
crude  wall  paper.  When  the  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  house  in  Cambridge 
was  demolished  (1884)  its  front  doorway  with  the  fluted  pilasters  and 
dentilled  pediment,  a  mantel,  and  all  the  dentils  from  the  eaves  were  pur- 
chased, removed  to  Wayland,  and  duly  installed  in  this  farmhouse.  The 
great  elm,  known  and  admired  the  country  round,  was  set  out  about  1750 
and  now  measures  twenty-one  feel  in  circumference  at  a  point  five  feet  from 
the  ground. 


COUBTESY    THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL 


Wayland 

BUILT    1800 
REMODELED    I9II 

J.   LOVELL   LITTLE 

Architect 


PLATE  XIX 


»      ■'     * 

"  a   »    •     »  » 


PLATE  XIX 


1  HE  reai  beauty  of  this  house  is  clearly  in  its  completed  form.  Though  the 
old  residents  in  the  neighborhood  declare  that  forty  years  ago  it  was  a 
vine-covered,  unpainted,  picturesque  affair,  the  house  possessed  little 
character  and  less  promise  when  the  architect  began  his  task.  About 
1885  the  building  suffered  the  usual  architectural  disfigurement  common 
to  many  old  houses;  a  coat  of  drab  paint  was  used,  the  Victorian  porch 
added,  and  the  original  small  pane  windows  removed  to  the  chicken  house 
to  be  replaced  by  the  new  sash  of  two  lights  each.  In  a  structural  sense 
the  house  had  never  been  altered,  which  simplified  the  work  of  restoration 
and  enlargement.  In  order  to  settle  the  building  closer  to  the  ground  a 
library  ell  and  a  broad  piazza  were  thrown  out  from  the  west  corner  (the 
left),  and  new,  heavy  chimneys,  still  governing  the  four  old  fireplaces 
within,  erected  in  place  of  the  thin,  narrow  originals. 

A  dwelling  on  this  plan  (Figure  III)  was  generally  the  home  of  simple 
country  folk  of  small  means,  and  forms  the  least  desirable  of  the  five 
common  types.  When  the  two  chimneys  tap  the  rear  wall  and  clear  the 
roof  at  its  lowest  point,  the  effect  is  weaker  and  less  dignified  than  in  the 
other  forms. 


Wayland 

BUILT  I7l5 
RESTORED  1908 


PLATE  XX 


PLATE  XX 


r  OR  nearly  a  century  this  landmark  was  maintained  as  a  public  inn,  widely 
known  as  Reeves'  Tavern.  It  stands  on  the  historic  Old  Connecticut 
Path,  an  Indian  trail  until  I6k8,  when  it  was  laid  out  as  a  town  highway. 
Past  the  site  of  this  old  house  (and  the  one  on  the  preceding  page)  Rev. 
Thomas  Hooker,  with  a  band  of  one  hundred  followers,  journeyed  on  foot 
to  found  the  Connecticut  Colony  in  the  year  1636.  The  old  kitchen 
fireplace,  nearly  ten  feet  in  breadth,  and  the  tavern  bar  with  counter,  drop- 
gate,  and  all,  are  still  preserved  intact.  There  is  structural  evidence, 
bearing  out  the  local  belief,  that  a  leanto  once  extended  nearly  to  the  ground 
in  the  rear.  The  historical  record  of  these  premises,  together  with  the 
splendid  development  of  elms  and  hemlocks,  helps  to  give  the  place  the 
picturesque  touches  so  widely  sought  after.  When  the  original  windows 
are  reproduced  and  reinstated  the  restoration  will  be  complete.  Figure  IV 
is  the  plan. 


W  AYLAND 
BUILT  l8o3 
IMPROVED  igOO 

ARTHUR  RUSSELL 

Architect 


PLATE  XXI 


PLATE  XXI 


1  0  begin  with  this  was  a  square,  red  brick  affair  of  the  dignified  Federal 
Period,  much  like  Figure  V  in  plan.  In  those  days  no  finer  type  was 
built,  and  now  in  these  there  is  nothing  belter  adapted  to  enlargement. 
With  the  new  library  wing  on  the  west,  the  central  part  still  keeps  its  prom- 
inence, and  could  well  carry  a  corresponding  addition  on  the  opposite 
side.  The  room  to  the  left  of  the  front  door  is  not  altogether  sacrificed  to 
provide  access  to  the  new  part,  since  the  old  hall  partition  was  removed 
giving  a  large  entrance  hall,  —  the  family  living  room,  —  with  stairs  and 
fireplace. 


Wayland 

BUILT  l8lO 
REMODELED  IQl3 


PLATE  XXII 


BHKH^Hrti 


PLATE  XXII 


IN  no  sense  a  house  with  possibilities,  as  we  use  the  term,  the  completed 
work  reveals  a  thing  of  unique  interest,  —  the  best  that  could  be  done  with 
the  material  at  hand.  This  was  the  cottage  home  of  the  hard-working 
laborer,  and  resembles  none  of  our  standard  types,  though  one  chimney, 
one  fireplace,  and  one  main  room  remind  us  of  an  early  Rhode  Island 
house  in  plan.  It  seems  to  have  sprung  up  as  an  odd  localism,  but  it 
contains  a  wide  hearth  and  fire  opening,  a  low  stud,  and  heavy  girts  and 
corner  posts  visible  within  the  old  room.  The  new  dining  room  extension 
is  not  shown  in  the  view.  This  wing,  together  with  the  leanto  addition 
and  the  pergola  porches  thrown  out  to  the  west  and  south,  give  a  broadened, 
settled  effect. 


■■" 


Weston 

BUILT   ABOUT    I75o 
REMODELED    igi2 


PLATE  XXIII 


PLATE  XXIII 


OUR  conception  of  a  "deserted  farmhouse"  could  scarcely  be  visualized 
more  completely  than  in  such  premises  as  these.  As  in  most  instances 
the  shattered  covering,  exposed  for  ages  to  sun  and  rain,  concealed  and 
protected  within  its  walls  a  heavy,  sound  framework  of  oak  timbers.  About 
forty  years  ago  when  the  house  suffered  so-called  improvements,  large 
pane  window  sash  replaced  the  ones  shown  in  the  first  view  and  the  roof 
was  extended  some  twelve  inches  at  the  gable  ends.  Though  the  new 
windows  seen  in  the  present  house  fail  to  duplicate  the  originals  in  exact 
size  and  character,  they  certainly  show  a  decided  improvement  on  the 
unfortunate  "mediaeval"  type.  Inasmuch  as  the  old  print  did  not  come 
to  light  until  after  the  restoration  was  complete,  it  is  now  the  owners  pur- 
pose to  copy  the  early  sash  from  this  photograph,  determining  their  posi- 
tion and  size  from  an  examination  of  the  framing,  and  also  imitate  the  old 
roof  detail  at  the  gable  ends.  The  original  kitchen,  which  occupied  its 
usual  position  on  the  rear  (Figure  II),  is  replaced  by  the  new  dining  room, 
while  the  old  woodshed  is  now  a  model  kitchen  with  adjoining  laundry. 


W  ESTON 
BUILT    l8o5 
IMPROVED    I907 

SAMUEL   W.    MEAD 

Architect 


PLATE  XXIV 


PLATE  XXIV 


llOUSES  after  this  type  (Figure  V),  with  four  lateral  chimneys,  hip  roof, 
and  top-light  are  every  one  impressive  and  stately.  We  may  expect  large, 
square  rooms,  more  or  less  delicate  detail,  many  windows,  and  eight  fire- 
places. The  white  balustrade  encircling  the  roof  relieves  the  gaunt  effect 
of  tall  chimneys  arising  from  the  lowest  point  of  the  roof.  This  detail 
is  properly  carried  out  on  the  porch  and  the  open  piazza.  The  "dog  trot" 
leading  through  the  new  wing  reminds  us  of  the  picturesque  feature  in 
old  English  inns. 


Weston 

built  about  i74o  (oldest  part) 

REMODELED    igi2 

FRANK   CHOUTEAU   BROWN 

Architect 


COURTESY   THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL 


PLATE  XXV 


PLATE  XXV 


1  HE  additions  to  Ihis  deserted  farmhouse  are  rather  unique  in  that  they  were 
not  extended  from  the  gable  ends  but  take  a  position  directly  back  of  the 
main  part.  While  the  composition  gives  an  effect  less  rambling  and  pro- 
longed, the  widest  elevation  is  exposed  to  the  southeast  sun,  the  highway, 
and  the  best  prospect.  The  one  story  kitchen  ell  was  converted  into  a 
dining  room  with  conservatory  leading  from  it  and  bedroom  above,  and 
the  service  portion  —  on  the  extreme  right  —  is  seen  to  be  a  repetition  of 
the  original  house. 


W  ESTON 

BUILT   ABOUT    l68o   (OLDEST   PABT) 

BESTOBED    1907 


GEOBGE   C.    WALES 

Architect 


PLATE  XXVI 


PLATE  XXVI 


IN  OT  only  a  splendid  specimen  of  the  Colonial  Period  in  character,  propor- 
tions, and  detail,  but  a  typical  New  England  homestead  forming  a  picture 
of  exquisite  beauty.  The  work  of  restoration,  considered  consistent  and 
complete,  was  not  in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  demand  for  alterations  or 
improvements.  The  east  ell,  with  its  high  pilch  roof  overtopping  the  main 
ridge,  was  an  inappropriate  addition  of  about  1800;  this  was  lowered 
to  give  the  proper  emphasis  to  the  central  part.  The  heavy  oak  posts, 
girts,  and  summers  project  in  the  rooms,  fireplaces  are  deep  and  ten  in 
number,  while  paneling  and  dadoes  are  wide  and  simple.  New  window 
frames  and  sash  were  necessary,  but  a  fortunate  touch  was  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  original  lights  used  to  glaze  the  new  sash. 


LINCOLN 

BUILT   ABOUT    I72O 

BEMODELED    I9II 

SAMUEL   DUDLEY   KELLEY 

Architect 


PLATE  XXVII 


PLATE  XXVII 


1  HE  external  changes  of  this  charming  old  homestead  consisted  of  repairs, 
a  new  ell,  plenty  of  paint,  and  new  windows.  The  first  view  was  made  when 
the  large  window  glass  had  become  a  popular  innovation,  and  with  the 
substitution  of  sash  of  proper  design  the  entire  expression  of  the  exterior 
is  clearly  improved.  In  plan  this  house  is  seen  to  coincide  with  Figure 
II,  and  forms  the  representative  type  so  prevalent  throughout  our  New 
England  countryside.  In  dwellings  of  this  character  not  infrequently 
do  we  find  the  chimney  placed  slightly  off  centre,  which  indicates  not  so 
much  careless  or  ignorant  designing  as  the  result  of  intentional  planning 
to  provide  a  larger  room  on  one  side  of  the  chimney  than  on  the  other. 
The  southeast  wing  (to  the  right),  not  a  part  of  the  original  house,  is 
nevertheless  the  work  of  more  than  one  hundred  years  back,  and  is  now 
converted  into  a  study  and  a  sun  room.  To  supply  a  large  living  room 
without  building  a  new  addition  is  often  a  problem;  rooms  are  small  to 
begin  with,  bay  windows  are  seldom  appropriate,  and  chimneys  interfere. 
In  this  case  the  old  dining  room  and  kitchen  were  thrown  together  in  one 
large  L-shaped  room  surrounding  the  big  chimney  on  two  sides,  giving  two 
fireplaces  and  light  from  both  the  front  and  rear. 


(concord 
built  about  i79o 
alterations,  i908 
derby  &  robinson 

Architects 


PLATE  XXVIII 


PLATE  XXVIII 


W  HEN  an  insignificant  roadside  collage  of  no  particular  traditional  prece- 
dent is  deliberately  made  to  lose  itself  completely  in  the  personality  of  a 
new  and  spacious  country  house,  the  finished  product  may  seem  almost 
sufficiently  overwhelming  to  exclude  it  from  this  volume.  Nevertheless 
this  is  a  clear  though  extreme  case  of  alteration  as  well  as  enlargement. 
The  original  nucleus  still  exists  as  the  southeast  end  of  the  present  dwell- 
ing, and  the  second  story  lights  of  the  old  house  are  now  identical  with  the 
first  three  windows  of  the  broad  front  elevation.  Obviously  the  alterations 
to  the  little  house  itself  were  very  extensive,  and  so  extensive  that  the  only 
lingering  evidences  of  early  work  are  now  visible  in  the  interior,  except  for 
the  one  original  chimney  which  was  preserved  even  in  Us  awkward  position 
to  keep  two  important  fireplaces.  New  window  frames  and  chimneys, 
entire  brick  finish,  and  the  conversion  of  the  pitch  to  a  gambrel  roof  have 
hopelessly  obliterated  the  frame  cottage.  These  changes,  together  with  the 
new  and  well-balanced  addition,  differ  from  the  general  scheme  of  improve- 
ment in  that  the  nucleus  no  longer  receives  the  central  emphasis  of  the 
completed  building.  The  accent  in  this  case  is  clearly  the  new  doorway 
of  the  new  part.  The  old  six  foot  stud  was  increased  in  the  new  part  by 
dropping  the  first  floor  level  nearly  two  feet.  While  even  an  eight  foot 
stud  is  rather  low  for  a  large  house  with  large  rooms,  it  gives  the  exterior 
a  very  dignified  and  settled  effect,  since  the  windows  are  many  and  large, 
and  the  space  between  the  stories  small. 


CONCORD 
BUILT    1769 
ALTERATIONS    I902 

WARREN,    SMITH    &   BISCOE 

Architects 


PLATE  XXIX 


PLATE  XXIX 


.DWELLINGS  of  this  character  —  like  Figure  IV  with  hip  roof — are 
common  along  our  village  streets.  The  dignified  and  graceful  propor- 
tions are  more  decided  in  its  present  state,  due  especially  to  the  pleasant 
application  of  the  balustrade,  porch  with  pediment,  and  Colonial  fence, 
—  all  in  harmonious  white.  Consistency  in  horizontal  lines  tends  to  give 
the  breadth  of  repose  so  admired  in  Colonial  composition.  The  service 
ell,  like  the  addition  to  the  Weston  house,  Plate  XXIV,  takes  a  position 
unusually  retired  and  subordinate.  This  residence  has  its  counterpart 
in  the  famous  R.  W.  Emerson  House. 


1  OPSFIELD 
BUILT  1807 
RESTORED    IQ02 

WILLARD    EMERY 

Architect 


PLATE  XXX 


PLATE  XXX 


A.N  exquisite  specimen  of  our  so-called  Federal  Period,  built  on  the 
plan  of  Figure  V.  Common  to  much  of  the  late  Georgian  work,  a  com- 
paratively simple  exterior  conceals  within  an  array  of  dentilled  cornices 
and  highly  ornamented  mantels  and  chimney  breasts  of  the  Adam  influence. 
External  detail  of  a  similar  order  confines  itself  to  the  four  graceful  door- 
ways, one  on  each  elevation.  While  the  house  is  a  typical  sample  of  the 
finest  work  of  the  period,  —  with  plenty  of  less  interesting  contemporaries 
in  this  vicinity,  —  it  is  unusually  refined  and  stately  in  its  proportions, 
and  the  general  effect  lower  and  wider  than  corresponding  types.  The 
broad  expression  is  accentuated  by  a  very  flattened  hip  roof,  and  chimneys 
placed  well  apart.  In  all  the  work  of  restoration  on  these  neglected  prem- 
ises, no  detail  was  disturbed  and  no  feature  removed.  A  house  architec- 
turally correct  and  equipped  with  the  best  workmanship  of  its  time  is 
wisely  treated  when  it  now  appears  quite  as  it  must  have  looked  the  day 
it  was  built. 


1  OPSFIELD 
BUILT  1771 
REMODELED    igo4    AND    I()l4 

CLINTON    NOBLE 

Architect 

WILLARD   EMERY 

Architect  (interior  work) 


PLATE  XXXI 


PLATE  XXXI 


1  HE  one  available  likeness  of  Ike  old  farmhouse  is  a  water  color  drawing 
from  which  the  first  picture  was  reproduced.  In  comparing  the  two 
illustrations  it  is  easily  observed  that  the  artist  idealized  his  subject  enough 
to  show  a  slight  difference  in  proportion  and  perspective.  Since  it  is 
certain  the  framing  was  never  altered  we  must  conclude  that  the  sketch 
was  thought  to  be  more  artistic  or  better  appreciated  if  a  few  harmless 
changes  were  made  here  and  there.  However,  it  is  said  by  those  who  recall 
the  house  as  it  used  to  stand,  that  the  painting  in  general  character  and 
setting  at  least  is  a  fair  likeness  of  the  old  home.  That  both  chimney  and 
windows  are  new,  and  larger  than  their  prototypes,  may  have  some  bearing 
on  the  apparent  dissimilarity  of  the  two  elevations. 

The  original  stairs  were  removed  from  their  usual  position  and  a  new 
flight  built  in  the  addition  on  the  left.  Thus  all  the  rooms,  whether  new 
or  old,  on  both  stories,  are  reached  direct. 


1  OPSFIELD 
BUILT  1697 
REMODELED    1 845   AND    I()o3 


nil 


PLATE  XXXII 


PLATE  XXXII 


1  HE  great  central  chimney  (12X14  feet)  was  removed  in  1845  and  replaced 
by  the  narrow,  inappropriate  affair  —  seen  in  the  first  view  —  which 
naturally  weakened  the  exterior  character  of  the  fine  old  homestead.  While 
the  original  chimney  accommodated  four  and  possibly  five  fireplaces,  it 
is  doubtful  whether  the  new  one  contained  more  than  two  flues,  indicating 
furnace  and  kitchen  stove.  Such  a  chimney  keeps  little  of  the  old-time 
romantic  significance.  Now  that  some  of  the  old  fireplaces  have  been 
opened  and  put  to  use,  the  slack  has  been  rebuilt,  but  still  fails  to  bring  back 
the  true  proportions  and  dignity  of  the  original  farmhouse.  While  bay 
windows  are  theoretically  dangerous,  this  adaptation  is  interesting  in 
that  it  relieves  the  broad  front  and  resembles  the  lovely  English  cottages. 


I 


-D  OXFORD 
BUILT    1763 
REMODELED    1906 

COOLIDGE   &   CARLSON 

Architects 


PLATE  XXXIII 


PLATE  XXXIII 


IT  is  a  delicate  matter  to  disturb  the  unbroken  elevations  of  an  old  farmhouse. 
Its  beauty  lies  in  the  plain  exterior  surfaces.  In  this  instance  a  bay  was 
required  on  the  west  end,  but,  with  the  inevitable  piazza  to  help  conceal 
it,  the  injury  to  the  outside  is  not  a  serious  one.  Since  front  porches  were 
common  in  early  work,  slight  changes  in  their  size  and  character  may  tend 
to  give  better  harmony  or  balance  when  new  additions  are  made  elsewhere. 
Both  porch  and  piazza  here  agree  in  hip  roof  treatment.  The  old  windows 
of  various  sizes  and  designs,  and  quaint  in  character,  were  carefully 
reproduced,  and  to  avoid  throwing  out  an  inappropriate  sleeping  porch, 
a  row  of  windows  was  added  in  the  southeast  chamber  (to  the  right)  which 
supplied  an  outdoor  sleeping  room  under  the  old  roof.  While  we  have 
grown  accustomed  to  farmhouses  painted  white  and  green,  it  is  not  an 
unpleasant  effect  to  keep  the  rich  weather-beaten  brown  emphasized  by 
light  colored  trim.     This  old  house  complies  with  Figure  II  in  plan. 


Hamilton 
built  1680 

REBUILT    igi2-l5 

NORMAN   M.    ISHAM 

Architect 


PLATE  XXXIV 


PLATE  XXXIV 


r  ROBABLY  no  seventeenth  century  farmhouse  in  this  vicinity  has  under- 
gone its  restoration  with  more  care  and  consistency  than  the  Captain 
John  Whipple  House  at  Hamilton.  Covering  the  greater  part  of  three 
years,  the  most  studious  attention  was  paid  to  each  minute  feature  of  early 
construction.  The  familiar  and  conventional  windows  shown  in  the 
first  view  were  identified  as  insertions  of  a  later  dale,  probably  about  1725, 
when  the  design  began  to  be  generally  used.  The  framing  indicated  that 
four  casements  with  transoms  had  previously  occupied  the  position  of 
each  later  window  and,  guided  by  the  few  existing  specimens  of  early 
leaded  casements,  the  proper  detail  was  reproduced  and  now  gives  the  house 
more  of  Us  former  appearance.  The  house  itself  is  a  good  example  of 
the  original  leanto  type  resembling  Figure  II. 


JlIamilton 

BUILT    I786 
REMODELED    I906 

WILLIAM    ATKINSON 

Architect 


PLATE  XXXV 


y' 


h&  113  jj 


■BE 


PLATE  XXXV 


W  HAT  was  virtually  the  back  yard  of  this  old  homestead  is  now  the  beauti- 
fied and  well-kept  west  front,  which  shows  the  most  decided  transforma- 
tion. The  original  house,  agreeing  with  the  common  New  England  plan 
(Figure  II),  properly  forms  the  predominant  centre  of  the  new  unit.  The 
development  of  this  property  suggests  the  interesting  possibility  of  uti- 
lizing the  rear  of  any  old  farmhouse  provided  the  exposure  and  view  are 
promising.  It  is  clear  that  the  one  story  south  wing  with  its  end  chimney 
was  a  kitchen  addition  of  about  1850;  this  is  converted  into  a  large  living 
apartment  reaching  to  the  roof,  with  exposed  beams  and  rafters. 


JJEVERLY   FARMS 
BUILT    1780 
REMODELED    igi5 


■ 


■w 


il 


i 


PLATE  XXXVI 


PLATE  XXXVI 


1  HE  entire  aspect  of  the  exterior  is  immediately  altered  by  a  few  simple 
changes.  The  porches  and  breakfast  room  relieve  the  bare  elevations  and 
give  character  and  expression  to  the  composition.  When  the  house  was 
moved  back  some  forty  feet  from  the  highway,  a  semi-circular  avenue  was 
built  to  tap  the  new  front  doorway,  which  is  agreeably  accentuated  as  the 
logical  entrance.  Old  paneling,  fireplaces,  and  hardware  were  carefully 
preserved,  giving  the  rooms  a  more  ancient  appearance  than  is  intimated 
by  the  exterior. 


X 


demand  may  D  period.^^^^========== 

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KbC'D  LD 

OCT  2  5  '65  -4  PM 


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YH  03700 


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